Administration official says FBI operations have seized about $8 billion from overseas scam centers

An administration official said the Federal Bureau of Investigation and interagency partners have recovered about $8 billion in fraudulent proceeds tied to overseas scam centers and continue to pursue perpetrators abroad. The official said the work extends beyond U.S. borders and involves partners in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

"Just in the last year ... we have captured and freed $8 billion in fraud in scam centers," the official said, adding that some centers were "stood up by the CCP and other adversaries" in countries including Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.

The official announced a recent enforcement action in the Middle East, saying that "just the other week" authorities in Dubai arrested 300 individuals allegedly responsible for about $4 billion in fraud. The statement also said the operations have freed thousands of trafficking victims.

The remarks emphasized the administration's commitment to pursue overseas criminal networks and to protect vulnerable Americans, including senior citizens the official said were targeted by these schemes. The official thanked the Attorney General, interagency partners and state and local law enforcement for their roles in the operations.

The official presented the figures and arrests as accomplishments of an interagency fraud initiative; the remarks did not provide supporting documents or additional operational details in the transcript. There was no vote or formal action recorded in this transcript; the comments were framed as a public account of enforcement results and next steps.